- The EPA is taking the first formal step toward requiring oil and gas drillers to disclose the content of fluids they use in fracking, saying it will begin to solicit public comment on whether companies should publicly list the chemicals used to extract oil and gas out of the ground.
- Disclosure of the chemicals by companies could be positive for industry if it can allay fears of fracking opponents about toxic chemicals in groundwater, says natural gas consultant Miriam Swydan Erickson.
- Baker Hughes (BHI) said last month that it will spell out all the chemicals it uses in fracking, but many other major companies have said their chemical formulas are proprietary and disclosure could help competitors copy their process.
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